THE leader of the Green Party of England and Wales has said he has spoken to several Labour MPs about defecting to his party amid their frustrations with Keir Starmer.
Zack Polanski, who was elected as Green leader earlier this month in a landslide victory, has said he is ready to welcome disillusioned MPs who share his values, adding he had spoken to a "double-digit" number of Labour politicians who are unhappy with Starmer.
He named backbenchers Clive Lewis and Nadia Whittome – who have both been vocal against Starmer – as “obvious” examples of the MPs he would welcome into the fold, but he did stress he would not welcome all Labour politicians.
He told The Independent: "I’ve had lots of conversations with Labour MPs concerned about where the Labour Party are going. Those are probably in double figures the amount of conversations I’ve had with Labour MPs.
"In terms of talking to Labour MPs about defections, that’s a smaller number, but yes, absolutely, I’m having conversations with Labour MPs who are considering defecting."
Asked if he would accept defectors from Labour, Polanski added: “Undoubtedly, there are Labour politicians that I would accept defections from. Not all of them, it’s really important to point out that caveat.
"It’s also important to point out that it wouldn’t be my decision; it would be a democratic decision made by an elected body, but that’s quite a technical answer. So I’ll answer a question directly: would I accept, as in would I encourage defections? Absolutely.”
Despite suggesting he would be willing to work with the party set up by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana, he has ruled out a full merger with the new left-wing outfit.
“If they all wanted to join the Green Party and be in the Green Party, I’d absolutely consider that merger. But I guess that’s not a merger," he said.
"In terms of a merger between whatever their party is and the Green Party, then that’s definitely not something I’m considering."
Starmer's government is under enormous pressure following the resignation of Angela Rayner as deputy prime minister and housing secretary, and the sacking of US ambassador Peter Mandelson.
Starmer appointed Mandelson UK Ambassador to the United States of America in December 2024 before he was sacked on Thursday following several leaked documents which revealed his close friendship with the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Following Mandelson’s sacking, it was revealed that the security services had expressed concerns before he was given the role, but No 10 went ahead with the appointment anyway.
The PM is now facing a potentially damaging deputy leadership election, with Labour loyalists Bridget Phillipson and Lucy Powell facing off in the contest.
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Zack Polanski doesn’t have a plan to deliver change, and he’s not serious about the serious times we face internationally. He has repeatedly suggested he would back off from Nato – which would leave Britain’s national security exposed at a time when Putin is waging an illegal war in Ukraine.
“And he leads a party that’s Green in name only: plastic progressives who oppose green infrastructure, oppose nuclear, and block housebuilding. Only Labour is focused on tackling the everyday challenges faced by working people."
